Twenty-two Years Ago

On Wednesday, December 21, 1988, 270 people were murdered in the bombing of Pan Am flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland. It was another battle in a war that had been ongoing for many years. Sadly, only the attacking force recognized this war for what it was. It would take several more attacks and nearly 13 more years before the world woke up and paid attention. At the time, the Lockerbie bombing was simply another act of agression against the West.

Of course we all know that last year, on what were termed “compassionate grounds” with the understanding that he would go home and die quickly, the Lockerbie bomber was released and returned to Libya, where he met a hero’s welcome and is still alive today.

Now, exactly 22 years after the bombing, the Senate has released a report on the bomber’s release, entitled “Justice Undone: The Release of the Lockerbie Bomber.” According to the Telegraph UK:

“The report suggests that a $900 million (£580 million) BP oil deal that the Libyans had threatened to cut off and a $165 million deal with General Dynamics for a “tactical communications system” were motivating factors for the British government under Tony Blair and Gordon Brown…

“It states that the prognosis given to al-Megrahi that his terminal prostate cancer meant he had just three months to live was “inaccurate and unsupported by medical science” and that the Scottish government “simply intended to use compassionate release as political cover for returning al-Megrahi to Libya”.

Other higher-ups in the British government participated in the release decision as well. MSNBC reports:

“Britain’s ambassador to Libya, Sir Vincent Fean, “directly participated” in an October 2008 meeting with Scottish government and senior Libyan officials to discuss a “way out” for Megrahi, it states.

“Other British officials repeatedly warned the Scots that “British interests, including those of U.K. nationals, British businesses and possibly security cooperation would be damaged — perhaps badly — if Megrahi were to die in a Scottish prison,” according to a statement British Foreign Minister William Hague provided the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.”

When the report came out yesterday, Britain’s Prime Minister David Cameron was almost Obama-like in his haste to blame the prisoner’s release on his predecessor, Gordon Brown.

In short:

Oil interests in UK want deal with Libya. Libya wants bomber released. Unqualified doctors say bomber is dying and should be allowed to go home. Bomber goes home and and is still alive over a year later. Oil interests and UK satisfied. US Senate cries foul. Cameron says “Bush Brown did it!”